Will Moderator’s Stance On Immigration Influence VP Debate?

Tuesday’s vice presidential debate features two candidates most Americans had never heard of six months ago, and a moderator most people have never heard of, period.

CBS News anchor Elaine Quijano might seem like a surprise pick to moderate the debate, but a deeper look suggests her selection is no accident.

Quijano, by all accounts a rising star with the CBS network, has done quite a bit of advocating for illegal aliens. This very well could prove to be something of an x-factor in tonight’s debate, as immigration has been a hot topic during this election.

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Quijano’s selection raised a few eyebrows, as most outlets have made a habit of selecting their experienced, high-profile personalities to serve as moderator.

The Chicago native — an anchor on CBSN, the digital streaming outlet of CBS — is the first Asian-American journalist to moderate a national debate, and at 42 is the youngest journalist to do so since Judy Woodruff in 1988.

Quijano anchors the Sunday edition of the CBS Weekend News and is a contributor to the weekday Evening News with Scott Pelley and CBS This Morning. She has received high praise from CBS News president David Rhodes.

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“Her perspective, dedication to political reporting and important role on CBS News’s live-streaming platform make her an ideal choice to lead the only vice presidential debate this fall,” Rhodes said.

Quijano may well be a rising star at CBS, but it is her stance on immigration that could influence tonight’s debate. She has been a vocal opponent of “tough” immigration laws in Arizona and Pennsylvania.

The state of Arizona enacted the immigration laws in question, SB 1070 and HB 2162, in April of 2010. The intent of the laws was to deter illegal immigration, and as such they they came under some scrutiny.

In its 2011 review of the laws, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down certain provisions, but upheld a provision allowing police to check a person’s immigration status while enforcing other laws.

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Quijano criticized the laws, highlighting the struggle of Jose, an illegal immigrant living in Arizona.

“Every day, 23-year-old Jose fears he could be deported. His parents brought him to America illegally from Mexico when he was two,” Quijano said in her segment. “He grew up in Pennsylvania, feeling every bit American, but it wasn’t until high school that he realized what it meant to be an illegal immigrant. That he could not pursue his dream of joining the Air Force.”

Quijano also relayed the story of a Korean man living in the United States, a man named Jong-Min You, whose parents had come to the United States on visas in 1981.

“Most, if not all, undocumented go through a period of depression or severe depression, and even sometimes suicides. I think we’re not machines, we are people,” he told Quijano. “You’re locked behind these invisible bars, you can’t drive, you can’t vote, and then you see your peers moving on in life.”

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Vice presidential debates typically don’t provide much spark in a presidential campaign. But it remains to be seen if Quijano and her views on immigration prove to be a strategic piece of kindling on the fire.